MSU Grabs a Road Win in Seattle - With a Whole Lot of Green in the Building
On paper, this was a road game. In reality? It felt more like Michigan State just took a victory lap in front of a home crowd - one that happened to be 2,000 miles from East Lansing.
The Spartans rolled into Seattle and left with a crucial 80-63 conference win over Washington, but it wasn’t just the scoreboard that tilted in their favor. The environment inside the arena was anything but hostile.
With the Seattle Seahawks commanding the city’s sports attention thanks to their NFL playoff game, and Washington’s basketball culture not exactly known for its raucous home-court edge, the Huskies didn’t get much help from the stands. Instead, the building was packed with green and white, as MSU fans turned out in force - a testament to Tom Izzo’s three decades of building a national fanbase that shows up wherever the Spartans land.
This wasn’t just a win - it was a statement. MSU controlled the game and, by the end, had the crowd on its feet.
The Spartans even came back out after the final horn to salute their fans. It felt like a homecoming, not a road grind.
And while the setting helped, it was MSU’s bench that truly swung the momentum.
Second Unit Sparks Spartans’ Surge
Michigan State didn’t pull away with a jaw-dropping run or a highlight-reel dunk fest. The difference came in the first half, during a subtle but significant stretch led by the Spartans’ second unit.
With the game tied at 13, it was a lineup featuring Denham Wojcik, Kur Teng, Jordan Scott, Cam Ward, and Jaxon Kohler that flipped the script. Teng drilled two threes to give MSU a 19-13 lead, and Kohler followed with a putback to stretch it to 21-13. Just like that, the Spartans had control - and they never gave it back.
That group didn’t just hold the line. They added to it.
Wojcik had his best game of the season, scoring a bucket, assisting another, and finishing the first half with a +8 in just five minutes of action. Teng, meanwhile, is starting to look like a real X-factor.
He finished with 11 points and hit 3-of-5 from deep - this coming off another strong shooting performance against Indiana. If he keeps this up, his shooting could be the kind of season-altering development that changes MSU’s ceiling.
There was a moment late in the first half that underscored just how valuable Teng has become. After he was subbed out for Trey Fort, Fort missed an open three that led to a fast-break bucket the other way.
What could’ve been a 15-point lead was trimmed to 10. It’s a small moment, but one that shows how much trust Teng is starting to earn.
Jesse McCulloch also gave the Spartans solid minutes off the bench - tough on the boards, knocked down a three, and made the most of his eight minutes. Ward looked more like himself, hitting his first jumper since returning from a wrist injury and battling on the glass.
Scott brought his usual defensive energy. These aren’t just warm bodies off the bench - they’re impact players.
No, this MSU team doesn’t have the overwhelming depth of last year’s squad. There are a few guys they simply can’t afford to lose.
But right now, the bench is giving them exactly what they need - and then some. MSU’s reserves outscored Washington’s bench 31-7.
That’s not just helpful. That’s game-changing.
Keeping Coen Carr Confident Is Key
One player MSU still needs to unlock fully is Coen Carr. He’s been quiet offensively in four of the Spartans’ five Big Ten games this month, and Saturday was more of the same. He chipped in six points on 2-of-4 shooting, hit a three, but struggled at the free-throw line, going 1-for-4.
Outside of a strong showing against USC, Carr hasn’t made more than three field goals in any of the last five games. That’s not the level MSU needs from a player with his physical tools and upside.
Tom Izzo acknowledged after the game that Carr’s confidence on offense is something they’re keeping an eye on - and something they’re actively working to address. Defensively, Carr has held his own, especially in the Indiana game.
He’s been active on the boards, too. But for a guy who’s capable of playing 30 minutes a night, MSU needs more offensive production.
His 22 minutes in Seattle reflected that.
Carr doesn’t need to be a go-to scorer. But if he can find a rhythm - get to the rim, knock down the occasional jumper, stay aggressive - it could raise the floor and ceiling of this team.
The tools are there. Now it’s about unlocking them consistently.
Looking Ahead
MSU’s road schedule gets trickier from here. Trips to Eugene and Rutgers are up next, and while neither team is playing to its usual standard, those are still true road environments. The Spartans have only played at Penn State and Nebraska so far - not exactly the rowdiest venues in the Big Ten.
The real tests will come later - Wisconsin, Purdue, Indiana, Michigan. But thanks to the way their fans have traveled, MSU has already turned a few neutral-site games into home-court advantages.
Saturday in Seattle was the best example yet. And if the bench keeps producing, and players like Carr find their groove, the Spartans will be more than ready for whatever’s waiting down the road.